Putting tilts toward disaster at Masters

Tiger Woods and Keegan Bradley spent time on putting during their practice round - a much-needed skill at Augusta.

Tiger Woods and Keegan Bradley spent time on putting during their practice round - a much-needed skill at Augusta.

Photo: Phil Skinner, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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Lee Westwood gets a feel for the slippery greens of Augusta National.

Lee Westwood gets a feel for the slippery greens of Augusta National.

Photo: Harry How, Getty Images

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Tiger Woods' rediscovery of his putting touch is a huge reason he has vaulted back into the world's No. 1 ranking. Can he keep it going this weekend?

Tiger Woods' rediscovery of his putting touch is a huge reason he has vaulted back into the world's No. 1 ranking. Can he keep it going this weekend?

Photo: Andrew Redington, Getty Images

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AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 10: A groundskeeper waters the ninth green prior to the start of the 2013 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2013 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) less

AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 10: A groundskeeper waters the ninth green prior to the start of the 2013 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2013 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Harry How/Getty ... more

Then Zoeller fielded a question about the craziest, fastest, scariest putts he ever faced in the Masters. He practically cringed as he recalled standing over putts he had no humanly chance of making - or even getting close to the hole.

"I'd say from the right of No. 6 to the front pin - that's probably the scariest," Zoeller said.

And how did he handle the challenge?

"Oh, I got it down in three," Zoeller said, laughing. "But I kept the first putt on the green, which was amazing."

Nothing defines the Masters more than Augusta National's famously wicked greens. They are the ultimate test of a golfer's touch and nerves, a harrowing blend of speed and slope.

More than anything else, those fiendish greens will help determine the winner of this week's 77th Masters. Will Tiger Woods' deft putting touch in 2013 translate to the slick surfaces in Augusta? Can Rory McIlroy rediscover his mojo on the greens? Or maybe Phil Mickelson?

This much is certain: Even the most accomplished players occasionally stumble with a putter in hand at Augusta National. Woods, on his very first putt in his very first Masters - at age 19, in 1995 - sent about a 15-footer scooting toward the hole ... and zipping past the hole ... and zooming off the green entirely.

Welcome to Augusta, Tiger.

Tom Watson, a two-time Masters champ, once had a short birdie putt (no more than two or three feet) on No. 16, which features a steeply pitched green. Watson tapped the ball a bit too firmly, watched it race downhill and found himself with a 60-foot par putt.

Jack Nicklaus has won this tournament more than any other player, six times in all, but he's not immune. Nicklaus, in his news conference Tuesday, was asked about the scariest putts he confronted in his 45 Masters appearances.

He rattled off near-impossible attempts on No. 2 and No. 3 and No. 4 and No. 9. Nicklaus didn't offer a specific memory, but he made his point in sheer volume.

"There are so many scary putts here - you can get one on every green," he said. "You just have to learn them, and the only way you learn them is to putt them and play them. When you do that, over time you sort of get it in your mind what to do."

Here's what smart players do: Putt cautiously. They take a defensive line to the hole, always conscious of not letting their birdie attempts roll too far beyond the intended target (see Watson, above).

Caution is not always enough. One longtime club caddie echoed Zoeller's thoughts on No. 6, a downhill par-3 with a large, severely undulating green. If your ball is on the upper right tier, and the hole location is down below, forget about birdie.

"You have no chance," said the caddie, who requested anonymity. "The ball's probably going off the green."

This begins to explain why Zoeller is the only first-time Masters participant to win since the mid-1930s. Putting well at Augusta requires a reservoir of knowledge, and the only route is playing the course over and over and over (as Nicklaus suggested).

One of this year's first-timers, Cal's Michael Weaver, launched his education during a practice round in January. He had a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 4, a long par-3, and essentially had no chance to get the ball close because of the green's severe slope.

Weaver left his putt about 10 feet away, then missed his par attempt.

"You lay up on a par-5," he said later. "You don't lay up on a green."

The most daunting greens on the back nine probably are No. 14, No. 16 and No. 17. Old caddies at Augusta National refer to "mean 14," given the green's sharp, left-to-right slope.

These holes seem even meaner come Sunday, when tension and nerves become a bigger part of the equation.

But here's the beauty and beastliness of Augusta: The crazy/fast/scary putts start right away. Most courses offer a benign opening hole, but No. 1 at the Masters is a demanding uphill par-4 with a topsy-turvy green featuring several plateaus and swales. It's almost enough to make you seasick.

Rich Beem, who played in the Masters five times (2003-07), always considered No. 1 among Augusta's most challenging greens. Two words often bounced around his head - "Holy s-" - as he stood over putts there and throughout the course.

"These greens are just so perplexing," Beem said. "There's really never a time where you feel like you can exhale."